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Steinert High School freshman orientation features ice breaker with ALS bucket challenge

Steinert High ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Steinert High School Principal Frank Ingargiola and Vice Principals Angela Belmont and Chris Guglielmo take the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) ice bucket challenge as part of freshmen orientation at the school in Hamilton Township on Thursday, August 28, 2014. (Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton)

HAMILTON — With less than a week before classes start, the incoming freshmen class at Steinert High School got the opportunity to break the ice today not only with fellow classmates, but administrators as well.

Amid a four-hour day of meeting staff members, learning the layout of the school, finding their scheduled classrooms and making sure locker combinations work,

Steinert’s class of 2018 helped their new principal and vice principals complete the ice bucket challenge, a viral fundraising and awareness campaign for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The freshmen class of 327 students were invited to the high school to get their class schedules, find their lockers and mingle with classmates.

On the turf behind the school, new students were chosen at random to assist senior peer leaders in dumping buckets of ice water over the heads of Principal Frank Ingargiola and vice principals Angela Belmont and Christopher Guglielmo as part of the ALS challenge.

“Personally, I didn’t put my name in to dump the bucket, but it was funny watching my classmates do it,” said 14-year-old freshman Sam Woolf. “They seem very easygoing and approachable.”

The sentiment shared by Woolf regarding the school and its staff is exactly what Nicole Caruso, Student Government Association adviser, said that she hoped all new students would take away from the orientation.

“We wanted people to feel like high school is a fun place to go. I think if people want to go to high school, then the learning will happen naturally,” Caruso said. “If they want to be there and they want to be in the classroom, they’re going to pay attention, they’re going to want to do better, they’re going to want to succeed.”

The orientation day for the roughly 200 new freshmen began with remarks from administrators about academic rigor and the schedule of each day. The students were then sent on a scavenger hunt, partially planned by Caruso, to help them get acquainted with the school.

“It’s like a little scavenger hunt to make it fun while learning the school’s layout so they won’t get scared,” said senior peer leader Leah Stackhouse, 17. “We’re doing all of the technical stuff now so that the first day of school isn’t confusing and we’re trying to make it fun for everybody.”

Despite the festive atmosphere filled with food, music and ice buckets, some apprehension could still be found among the teens.

“I’m a little nervous” said 13-year-old Kevin Wright. “There are new people, and there are more people than middle school. But I’m more excited because it’s a new year and a new school.”
Woolf said that she was nervous about being able to make new friends, but gained newfound confidence after talking to senior leaders like Stackhouse.

“They knew how it felt to be in our shoes,” Woolf said. “I learned just don’t be afraid to talk to people and that everyone’s pretty friendly, so you shouldn’t be afraid to walk up to anyone.”

Classes at Steinert, Nottingham High School and Hamilton High School West start Wednesday.